THOUGHTS, MEANDERINGS AND SOLILOQUIES, FACT AND FICTION WITH A LITTLE HUMOUR & BITCHING THROWN INTO THE MIX. TELLING IT LIKE IT IS FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT EVEN KNOW HOW TO SPELL IT. A CROATIA RELATED INFORMATIONAL BLOG WITHOUT THE MAINSTREAM BS & NOT DEVOTED TO STAMPS, COINS, SPORTS, MUSIC OR POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, BUT IF IT'S CROATIA STUFF, YOU JUST MAY FIND IT HERE...

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Friday, 30 January 2015

Another light and airy quick yet interesting post today. I'm not going to go into overkill with predicting, analyzing, dissecting or any of that. This is sort of a continuation from a few years ago of my croatian-connection-for-super-bow-xlvi post. In a nutshell, there will again be a "Croatian-connection" at this years highly anticipated Superbowl. Yep, that being New England coach Bill Belichick, Defensive end Rob Ninkovich and even Seattle coach Pete Carroll believe it or not.

For those not in the know, Bill Belichick's actual surname was spelled Biličić. (Croatian pronunciation "Billich-ich"). His grandparents arrived to America at the turn of the last century, when the Croatian crown lands were a part of the Habsburg ruled Austro-Hungarian empire. (arriving in 1897 from the town of Karlovac to be exact). However, when Bill's father starting going to grade school, his teachers had a hard time remembering and pronouncing it, his family then modified the surname to make it easier easier for for the teachers etc to pronounce. When his grandparents initially arrived, immigration officials actually suggested for them to change the last name to White, but Bill's grandfather refused. That is your brief and interesting history of the Belichick surname. (You may want to check out croatiansurnames.blogspot.ca which explains this and a lot more about the history of Croatian surnames)

Anyway, that's about it, information that's good to know and sort of cool if you have Croatian descent. You'll have to go elsewhere now though for all the analyzing and predicting and re-analyzing and counter-predicting etc. Since on the topic, I did come across a few interviews here and there, and I have to say as an observation, I found the English being spoken by many European soccer players in the Premier League to be more understandable than a lot of the NFL interviews I saw. What's up with that? You're born there and went to university for years but still have a hard time grasping the complexities of speaking the English language? That's just plain ass weird. Anyway, I guess it's almost time for the extracurricular hoopla, billion dollar a minute commercials, selfie acting galore and choreographed cheesiness to commence......

In the least likely of places, New England Head coach Bill Belichick and Defensive end Rob Ninkovich (Whom Belichick calls a "tough Croatian kid"). Image: profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll have one surprising thing in common....."Croatianicity"

Source: ftw.usatoday.com

PHOENIX – Only at the Super Bowl.

New England Patriots Coach Belichick was asked at his press conference Wednesday whether he was aware he and Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll shared ancestral roots in the European country of Croatia.

Belichick noted that University of Alabama Coach Nick Saban also has Croatian ancestry.

“The last big Croatian matchup that I’ve had was with Coach Saban when he was with the Dolphins and that was within the division at that time – the battle of Croatia,” said Belichick.

Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll. Carroll gets his Croatian roots from his grandparents on his mothers side, and Belichick's grandparents, Marija and Ivan, immigrated from Croatia to the United States in 1897. Image: nesn.com.

“I’m very proud of my dad’s family tradition and history with Croatia. I’ve had the opportunity to visit that beautiful country a couple of times, and I’m proud of that heritage.

“No, I didn’t realize that we were breaking new ground here. So it looks like we’ll have a Croatian champion one way or the other, right?”

On its Facebook page, the Croatian Scholarship Fund is conducting a poll: “Who is the greatest Croatian head coach in the NFL?”

At mid-day Wednesday, Belichick led Carroll 85 votes to 43.

Bill Belichick supposedly smiled only 7 times throughout all of last season. Image: www.wsj.com

From a previous post HERE, I personally like this one where Bill Belichick is dressed up as a Hallowe'en pirate with his wench.

I did find some of the Bill Belichick/Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars comparison images and some other ones kind of funny, a few were actually quite hilarious. The price you have to pay for being the NFL's record holder for playoff wins I guess. Image:nfl.com

Here's a few more I came across (but there's lots more)...

Ancient astronaut theorists believe that Bill Belichick was responsible for the megalithic stone carvings at Pumapunku.

I guess this is supposed to be one of those efficient performance tempo moments according to the percentages and adjusted for the point differential and scoring margin probability scenario Valentine's Day cards.

This isn't a meme, but it does show him challenging the officials on a call by throwing a red flag onto the field with authority. The referees ruling was overturned and so his challenge was proven correct. (It's all about throwing the red flag with authority)

I came of across this one by accident, it has absolutely nothing to do with Croatians, sports, Bill Belichick or even the Super Bowl, but I decided I better put it in here anyway as supplementary information.

I came across this below pic after doing this post, it's seems some Serbs are still going around pronouncing a curse on both teams. Just some extra information for the benefit of the reader that's good to know. (They constantly go around the local strip mall bragging how Gaddafi will rise from the dead and that they are best at killing the Ukrainian Euro-scum. Bravo!)

Saturday, 24 January 2015

Something quick and nice and light today. There's some interesting sports related happenings, but I'm staying away from sports for a while and I've too many sports posts as it is anyway. (Well, I'll just quickly add that the Croatian national handball team went 5-0 and are now in the playoffs at the 2015 World Handball Championships) This however, though not important at all, I still found worth noting here. I've mentioned this before, that I really don't drink much these days at all, but it is good to know that the next time you're in a Zagreb area bar or restaurant etc, that you now have another quality beer option to try out.

You can never have enough locally produced brands of beer I say, after all this is Croatia and Europe we're talking about. Some people will even judge the quality of a country by their beers and availability of quality beers, or at least it's a large factor. I think it's written into our constitution somewhere that every citizen shall have the right to partake of frothy and fizzy alcoholic adult beverages, ales and wines or something like that. The Zmajska Pale Ale is 5.3% alcohol and the Porter dark beer is 6.5% alcohol. (See previous beer related posts at the bottom to see what I mean)

Interestingly, this new microbrewery brand, (aka "craft brewery"as opposed to the large-scale corporate breweries)... "Zmajska" pivo (Dragon beer) will be one of the officially available beers at the very popular Rujanfest, which takes place every September in Zagreb. (More about Rujanfest at my post bundekfest-rujanfest-at-zagrebs-lake) Even though it's not the important thing when choosing a beer, the logo looks cool to me, medieval-ish even, and I like the medieval era stuff. They even drank plenty of beer in medieval times, and it was actually the most common drink to have back then.

The very basics of modern-day beers and beer brewing hasn't changed much in many centuries, not since German monks introduced hops as a vitally important main ingredient, codified and recorded their recipes and started brewing beer in their monasteries during medieval times, water was unsanitary many times, equipment was not always hygienically clean and without hops the ales would spoil very quickly (historically "ale" being a type of beer brewed without hops). Interestingly, beer was actually the most consumed beverage already and an important source of nutrition in the medieval world, it was drank by children, nursing mothers, the old and the sick and everyone in between. A pretty cool Croatian site these days devoted to all sorts of beer news topics, articles, new and retro images/posters and the interesting history of beer in Croatia up to today, as well as in Europe and elsewhere around the world is www.pivnica.net.

The popularity of craft brewing and these microbreweries has been growing over the years, and I've tried a few here and there. Personally though, I would spruce up the logo down the road if I was the people behind this new beer, and make the dragon look a little tougher, majestic and mysterious etc, it's a dragon after all, but that's just me. THIS one, THIS one or THIS one would be a good version to work around, it would give the impression of being as cool as a dragon when sipping on one of their frothy ales, but that's just me. (See dragons/basilisks-of-trsat-castle post)

This new craft beer isn't available only in Zagreb where it is based either, but is already available around the country. Although it would definitely be a good beer choice for when at the pubs, restaurants and bars when in the old medieval part of Zagreb, amongst the gargoyles, statues and medieval buildings/castles and such, also known as Gradec, or at one of the patios/bars along Tkalčićeva Street after one of the local ghost tours or medieval tours would be a perfect time also. But then again what the hell do I know. Drink it whenever the hell you want. Anyway, something to keep in mind when or if in the area. The last time I was in Zagreb I made a point of trying out every single one of the Croatian brewed beers, I even made a list so I wouldn't forget. I know I will next time also.

(Supplementary information for the boys and girls out there. Did you know that todays modern beer brewing techniques and standard ingredients were started by German monks around the year 1050? Yep, just outside of Munich (hence why Oktoberfest is held in Munich) those German monks opened the first brewery and made for the first time essentially the exact same beer we buy in the stores today, that's 500 years before Christopher Columbus and almost 1000 years before the invention of modern donut burgers and cricket pizza. It wasn't long after that when the new golden liquid nectar found it's way to the Croatian lands and to the rest of Europe. Your beer history fact of the day. Also, even if you don't drink beer, don't forget boys and girls that there are numerous other beneficial reason to brew beer, from beer shampoo, to beer sauces to beer batter and everything in between. See the other interesting uses for beer besides drinking it)

One of the world’s most well-known craft beer websites has ranked Croatian craft beer brewers Zmajska pivovara in its Top 10 New Brewers in the World list…

RateBeer, which is the world’s largest source for information on craft beer and the craft beer culture, has ranked Zagreb’s Zmajska pivovara at number 9 in its annual list of the best new brewers in the world list. Considering there were more than 3,800 new world-wide brewers registered this past year and quarter at RateBeer, making the top 10 puts the team at Zagreb’s Zmajska in an extremely elite bunch.

The founders of "Zmajska Pivovara" opening the taps of the very first batch just this past June.
“The first Western-style craft microbrewery to open in Croatia, Zmajska Pivovara, spearheaded by the pillar of the Croatian homebrewing scene – Andrej Čapka, with renowned homebrewer Bojan Pap as head brewer, opened, finally, in September 2014 after a series of equipment delivery delays, giving full momentum to the country’s long-awaited craft revolution that had started mere months before. Their beers proved to be well worth the wait, as both their Pale Ale and their Porter turned out to be of the highest quality – the latter making the top 15 in style for 2014 at RateBeer Best,” wrote RateBeer.

Some people are already making sure they don't run out by keeping an extra supply at home. (Twitter photo)

Wednesday, 14 January 2015

This is sort of interesting and worth throwing in here, even if it already took place this past December. I like spreading the news about Croatian films or the movie scene in Croatia in general. You can never have enough film festivals or film marathons I say, and there's plenty in Croatia throughout the year. (Some readers may not have even known that Croatia has theatres and even a homegrown cinema industry also, see previous post links at the bottom)

During the colder winter months a film marathon/festival is definitely a good thing. This particular 2nd Short Film Marathon (Maraton Kratkometražnih Filmova) took place at various locations in Croatia just before the new year and featured 66 films that were shown in 29 cinemas and in 32 towns.

The interesting thing is it was not all just Croatian films being shown or themed around just one genre, some of the films were shorts for children and adults, from animation to experimental, dramas, comedies, philosophical, artsy, action etc. Films included as part of the film marathon were from Croatia as well as Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, and Spain.

On top of that, admission to watch the films in the theatres was....(drum role).... FREE! Yep, absolutely free, that's pretty cool. How often do you get to go see a a bunch of newly produced films for free? (You have to pay for your own popcorn and refreshments though) Some of the films can still be seen through the website of the Croatian Audio Visual Centre. (HAVC)

(I should add, you won't find at these kinds of film marathons films with lots of explosions, special effects, aliens, space ships, car chase scenes, jumping from alleyway fire escapes, superheroes etc. These films are more oriented about stories and revolve around plot and characters for the most part. Some you will like, some you won't like, just like your pizza toppings. Yet it is also through this type of film making that many of todays famous directors/actors actually got their first start and exposure, just too many to mention here. The Kino Europa (Cinema Europa) in downtown Zagreb regularly puts on various similar film festivals and out of the ordinary cinematic events also, but those go on throughout the whole year)

Anyway, as for this particular "Shortest Day" (Le jour plus court) as the event is called, it is a creativity day, celebrating the diversity of national and authorial cinematography and artistic expression, celebrating the wealth of short films in all it's forms and genres. The event was initiated by the French National Centre for Cinema in 2012, and now 14 European countries participate in these short film festival events. The text below I took from the website and explains more.

This year, for the second time, the Short Film Marathon takes place in Croatia, as an event paying homage to short film on 21 December, the shortest day of the year. The programmes take place in 29 cinemas across Croatia and two locations in Zagreb (ArtOmat and Advent on the European square), and some of the films will be made available on HAVC’s website. A total of 66 films will be shown, including a large number of recent Croatian films garnering awards at important local and international festivals. Admission to all the screenings and events is free of charge.

The second Short Film Marathon this year lasts for three days. In addition to Sunday, 21 December, the cinema screenings are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, 19 and 20 December.

This year’s cinema marathon features two children’s film programmes, and three programmes for grown-ups, including all genres – from animated to experimental. The youngest audiences are welcome to attend Balthazar: The Star Quartet Series by the legendary Zagreb School of Animation, and European short films from Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Ireland and Spain, intended for children between 3 and 6 years of age, to the choice of the Short Circuit organisation. This programme also includes the Croatian animated film Hidden Talent by Miran Miošić, about a singing cat Bjelobrk who is tone deaf but this does not stop him from constantly singing horribly.

I guarantee that popular Serb short films like and similar ones will not be shown during this or any other European Short Film Marathon, which is a good thing because frankly Serb culture songs suck shit, empty theatres guaranteed. (Terrible acting and lines all the way around)

The programmes for grown-ups feature recent European and Croatian short titles. Therefore, the audience has a unique chance to see one of the Croatian films that won most awards this year, Una Gunjak's The Chicken, on the big screen, as well as Boris Poljak’s Autofocus, the winner of Karlovy Vary festival. Why the past few years of Croatian short film can rightfully be called stellar, the audience will be able to discover through several titles like President Nixon’s Present by Igor Šeregi, Prettyboy by Saša Ban, The Box by Nebojša Slijepčević, The Little Raccoon by Barbara Vekarić, the animated films Koyaa 'Flower' by Kolja Saksida and Bla by Martina Meštrović, which could be seen by Zagreb's citizens and visitors last year on the facade of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Teaser trailer for the 2nd annual Short Film Marathon. (Translation: They're getting ready to go to the film marathon, making plans for the film marathon) Much more information about this film marathon and Croatian cinema in general at www.havc.hr.

There is also a selection of European fiction and experimental films from Germany, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France, also as a result of collaboration with Short Circuit.

The screening schedule at 29 Croatian cinemas can be found attached or on the Croatian Audiovisual Centre’s website.

Next to cinemas, the Short Film Marathon this year takes place at two locations in Zagreb (ArtOmat and Advent on the European square) and on Croatian Audiovisual Centre’s website www.havc.hr. In these 48 hours, 16 films of different genres will be available – from experimental and documentary, to fiction and animated. The films are available online from midnight 20 December to midnight on Sunday 21 December. Also, Croatian Television’s Channel.

They will also join the short film celebration and in different slots on Sunday, broadcasting short films starring the legendary Charlie Chaplin, and the Buster Keaton and Fatty Arbuckle duo, as well as short films by the masters of French cinema like Alain Resnais and Jean-Luc Godard.

The Shortest Day initiative (Le jour plus court) was launched in 2012 by the French National Centre for Cinema (Centre national du cinema et de l’image animée) in association with the Short Film Agency (l’Agence du court métrage) with the idea of a day-long promotion of the rich short film repertory in the entire country. After a great success in France, the initiative went international and now includes 14 European countries. The second Short Film Marathon is organized by the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.

Discussion about the 2nd annual Short Film Marathon, the history and work of the Croatian film industry and it's place within European Cinema in general. Much more info at the Croatian Audiovisual Centre's website: www.havc.hr.

Monday, 12 January 2015

Before becoming the first female Croatian President, Grabar-Kitarovic was also the first ever female Assistant Secretary General at NATO. She also served as the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs from 2005 to 2008, when her main priority was to guide Croatia into the European Union and NATO.

I've been keeping tabs on the Croatian Presidential campaigns and elections over the last few months, but decided to to wait until the results came in to comment or post. I'm also not going to get too in-depth here. I posted previously a few times about Croatia's new and now first female president. (see HERE, HERE and HERE) and there plenty of articles out there now.

Basically, it went down to the wire as expected, but the people have spoken and voted. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was previously the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia from 2005 to 2008 and Croatia's Ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011, but she entered the limelight of the world stage when she became the Assistant Secretary General at NATO in 2011 before deciding to run for President of Croatia just this past year.

Some analysts never gave her a chance from the start. She wasn't living in Croatia full-time, she wasn't already a politician or with a portfolio, that she's been out of Croatian politics for too long, etc. Before she made her presidential bid public last year, the incumbent Croatian President had a very comfortable approval rating according to polls, since there was no other serious contender yet. Even this past November poll results had her hanging around the 27% mark. But then as time went on and the campaigns started up, I think people started to realize some things. For instance also, she could very well have taken the easy route and just continued her NATO duties. It was a prestigious full-time gig, good pay, she got to travel around the world, meet and greet various world Prime Ministers, Presidents, dignitaries, higher echelon military people on a daily basis, lots of fancy dinners, go to various speaking engagements around the world, and all paid for. (free souvenirs too probably)

She could have also decided to go for something a lot easier in the first place, like maybe running for the position of mayor in her hometown of Rijeka. That would have been a lot less hassle and include many less duties and issues to deal with. A lot less to spend for campaigns and easier competition with a much better chance for victory. But no, instead she showed intestinal fortitude and decided, against all odds, to run for the position of Croatian President. She was then hitting around 38% percent in the polls taken in late November. Then after the 1st round elections in late December she finished only 1.5% percent of the overall votes behind the incumbent.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović to become 1st woman Head of the Croatian State since the Middle Ages

There's much more to Kolinda than just sitting in offices sipping tea and eating crumpets. Image from a previous post HERE.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Albania's Aleksander Sallabanda and Nato chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as President Bush signs their accession protocols which provides for them to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2008. Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Associated Press.

Kolinda turned down a marriage proposal from Joao Francisco. Time will tell whether she made the right choice, forfeiting a nifty favela shack and the opportunity to clean the toilet after those spicy fish and beer evenings might make her look like an idiotic specimen now.

Well, to make a long story short, the rightness in her decision and her perseverance has been vindicated. She turned around a 1.5% deficit in the first round, gained 3% and then won with 1.5% more of the votes in the 2nd round. She has the approval of the majority and now the hard work begins, and it's a long road with many issues to deal with....she will have to work with the government to encourage change to the status quo, better policies for the economy, defence, foreign relations, trade, working towards a better investment climate and improving the public sector, various extremists, terrorism, the muslim-rap cartel, protecting the country from illegal migrants, wiry haired mutants and their various illegal activities, protection of Croatian natural resources, culture and inherent rights, setting up a new ultra sophisticated network of armed elite secret agents for the purposes of national security, people who can always make it look like an accident, suicide or set up a patsy who dies under mysterious circumstances like falling from their balcony drunk in the middle of the night or texting and forgetting to break for the train, accidentally tripping in front of a speeding semi-trailer truck, able to make the bestgore.com videos people look like clumsy boy scouts, giving the new Croatian secret agents the right to poison enemies within the state and outside of our immediate borders just like many other countries have been doing for years and even today and which is our God-given right, and all this for the peace, security, freedom and the well-being of the country and even the continent, as well as also increasing exports, decreasing imports, acquiring defensive CBRN weaponry that Croatia is rightfully entitled to, lowering taxes, make a more favourable climate for entrepreneurs, and of course more sladoled and Tisak stands which is very important also.

Will Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and EU leaders be able to stop Serb mercenaries onslaught and killings in Ukraine?

She will have to continue the work of her predecessor Ivo Josipović in demanding the apprehension and bringing to trial for war crimes and genocide charges many former Serb soldiers who are free in Serbia, that Serbia abides European Union insistence to prosecute top Yugoslav People’s Army commanders and political leaders responsible for war crimes during the 1990s Serb Jihads or they will block Belgrade’s inclusion into the EU, wanted criminals even protected and held on a pedestal by Serb church authorities, etc. (The same Serb church authorities who supported, promoted and blatantly encouraged killing Non-Serbs all through the 1990's) I don't envy her new position at all I must say, like other European Presidents she will have to do the routine official handshaking shtick/shit/protocol with Serbian leaders, (See HERE, HERE and HERE for more on that), about as interesting as stapling your ears to your eyelids, drinking cow urine, rolling around naked on a floor covered in broken glass and tacks etc ) Hopefully she will tell them quit it when/if in Croatia and starting bullshitting complex-filld statements with their mouths, if they know what's good for them, tell them to save it for Kosovo, NATO, Bosnia and Ukraine. They are the losers in the host winning and free independent country, best they remember that. They will have to remember that they crossed a border and will have to leave their Serb cyrillic behind because we don't use it Croatia and we don't have any intention of learning Serb cyrillic or kissing Karadzic posters. (Especially this Serb specimen, he's not going to be able to tear down Croatian signs etc and replace it with Serb cyrillic signs like in his good ol' ethnic cleansing days and temporary Serb empire) Being the new Croatian President won't be a walk in the park, a stroll down the promenade or an easy task at all, it's definitely not a time to bask in the glory spending time just shaking hands and cutting opening day ribbons of newly built buildings and such. (That job is usually just for mayors)

The few images I added are not just images for the sake of showing her wearing a Croatia soccer jersey, wearing camouflage military kit or being able to hold and fire a weapon, because that's not what is ultimately important or the point. Jerseys, leather jackets and sunglasses come and go, rather it's about the fact that all during her travels and time at NATO and as Foreign Minister before that, she never forgot who she is and where she came from, her very identity. Just like a lot of people on television, Twitter and Youtube etc. They also have nothing to do with any political party either, I'm not a politician and/or a mindless follower of various clubs, sitcoms or top 10 music lists. it's all about character. (As a thespian once noted..."Just because you are a character, it doesn't mean you have character." I think Plato might have said something similar also, or maybe it was Brigitte Bardot, anyway...)

Kolinda's victory is also not only a victory for Croatia however, not in the least. With her experience, credentials, progressive vision, commitment to freedom and as they say down there in them Arkansas...gumption, it is a victory for Europe, for civilization, for progress and for the free world in this topsy-turvy agenda and scheming miscreants filled ball of spinning dirt that will one day be burned to smitherenes by the hot molten sun. The world is a safer place now, it's not perfect and probably never will be, but it is safer and that's the main thing.

Visiting some of the Croatian troops stationed in Afghanistan as part of ISAF while she was Assistant Secretary General for NATO. She has also visited troops who have been a part of the KFOR forces since 2009 ensuring peace and security in Kosovo.

Not afraid to get her hands dirty in or outside of the office, (She grew up in the countryside learning how to milk a cow, chop down trees with an axe and drive a tractor from a young age) Kolinda understands the importance of efficient and common Croatian and European defence policies as well as maintaining security and stability along Croatian coastal areas. It is the right of every visitor to Croatian beaches to feel safe and secure, and maybe also to wear proper beach attire when at the beach. (See a previous Beach Handball post to see what I mean, and maybe the Serbs in Ukraine post to see what I mean too)

Without trying to come across as gossipy/tabloidy, the new Croatian President has also been the subject of Croatian newspaper front covers for her figure, soon after the election. This is not important and the hoopla will soon pass, then back to the real issues. However it's good to show that your new President knows how to enjoy the summers and it also shows the benefits of growing up on Croatian food for years. (Štrukle, Pečenka, Kobasice, Sarma, Punjene Paprike, Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Brudet, Pohane Lignje, Žgance, Palačinke, etc)

I should also add that besides having years of experience in keeping Croatia and Europe safe and secure, efforts still need to be continued to combat Serbs from illegally crossing over into Europe to...well, self-explanatory. Serb songs are very popular amongst the Serb church community and usually draw a big crowd, but they should never be allowed to gather and sing them among Non-Serbs or in Non-Serb nations. (I personally think they suck shit) I hope Kolinda along with the other EU Presidents and leaders tell the Serb politicians to keep their slimy philistine Serb church jihadists from sauntering over the border into Ukraine to kill Ukrainians also.

Efforts will have to be continued to combat supporters of terrorism and terrorist dictators wherever they are found, because now is not the time to let terrorist supporting Serb jihadists infiltrate non-terrorist nations or spread their culture into other parts of Europe. The Serb messiah Gaddafi must never be allowed to rise from the dead and spread terror and again.

A cool photo of Kolinda during the 2014 World Cup walking the hallways of NATO. It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you look wearing your jersey. (Shortly after doing this post, I came across a piece about Magdalena Ogórek who is now another new Polish presidential candidate and she's also called "Polish Barbie" by the Polish press. Maybe Kolinda is starting a trend? More about that HERE)

Surprisingly, Kolinda's campaign spent only half the amount of funds than the incumbent. Above, pedestrians stand in front of an election poster in Zagreb, Croatia, Friday, January 9. AP.

Without getting all technical, statistical, crunching numbers and elaborating on various policies or political scenarios, and instead putting it into the everyday local vernacular....."It's time go fuck some shit up, now is not the time to fuck around like some stupid jerk fuck, enough of the fucking bullshit, but rather it's time to make some fucking shit happen." (Sada nije vrijeme za sranje, sada je vrijeme da zajebemo govno svuda, dragi ljudi) Less time needs to be devoted to selfies and ooohing and aaahing about selfie actors or obsessing how many times a ball goes into a fishing net or a basket, who is ****ing who as they laugh behind closed doors at the morons giving them money, It's time to get it right. Various foreign theistic hordes are intent to *****ize with philistinism and egregious fashion, hygiene and eating habits and they mustn't gain even an inch, but instead be trampled like a poisonous leprosy spreading flower. Anyway, I'm going to only touch about one topic here today though, which you can read about below the article. I'll probably do a "Photos of the Day" post after she is officially sworn in. More about the election results at the links......

Kolinda Grabar Kitarović looks set to become Croatia’s first ever female president after one of the closest elections in the nation’s history on Sunday. She is also the first female head of state chosen by voters since Kosovo's Atifete Jahjaga was elected by parliament in 2011.

After 99.98% of all votes had been counted, preliminary results had Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (46) in the lead with 50.74% of the votes, with incumbent Ivo Josipović behind with 49.26% of votes. Grabar Kitarović, who until a few months ago was the assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy at NATO and is a former Foreign Affairs Minister for Croatia, was once again popular with those living outside of Croatia, winning over 90% of the diaspora vote. 58.91% of all eligible voters turned out to vote on Sunday.

With a number of votes from abroad still to be counted, official results are expected in on Monday morning, but Josipović had already conceded defeat.“Congratulations to Kolinda Grabar Kitarović on becoming the new president of Croatia. She won in a fair and democratic vote,” said Josipović.

Kolinda now joins the ranks of other first female presidents in Europe. Margaret Thatcher of Britain, Angela Merkel of Germany, and Helle Thornsing Schmidt of Denmark. She is also the first female head of state chosen by voters since Kosovo's Atifete Jahjaga was elected by parliament in 2011.The world is a safer place now.

Congratulations were being sent early from various European politicians and heads of state. Above, Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny.

Congratulations on Twitter from the current President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.

President of Italy Giorgio Napolitano noted in his congratulatory message that the fraternal friendship between the two countries is rooted in the same common cultural and civilizational history. He noted that the 2 countries are equals in the European Union and NATO with common regional, economic and security goals, including of course and importantly protecting Europe from Brazilian soccer fans.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Kolinda on her victory and emphasized that..."Our countries are very closely related and friendly as partners in the European Union and NATO and we jointly believe in the importance of the European unification process," The German Chancellor recalled that Grabar Kitarovic persistently advocated for Croatian accession to the European Community and Euro-Atlantic integration. Merkel also wrote that she looks forward to a co-operation "filled with confidence" with the new Croatian President.

“Solving the economic crisis is the absolute priority of my programme. I will especially stimulate entrepreneurship and investment as a prerequisite to increase employment. We all deserve a better Croatia. I will work in the interest of all Croatian citizens. I will not shirk responsibilities. I will be your President ” Grabar Kitarović said during her campaign. “From tonight we will work to make Croatia a better homeland. I will not let anyone say that Croatia will not be prosperous. We will be among the most developed and prosperous nations in Europe. I want to thank everyone who had faith in me. Lets all work together for a better Croatia,” said Grabar Kitarović on Sunday night.

Grabar Kitarović was born in Rijeka, Croatia before moving to the United States for part of her childhood. After graduating from Los Alamos High School in Los Alamos, New Mexico, she then attended the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, graduating in the study of English and Spanish language in 1992. Later she obtained a master’s degree in international relations from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Zagreb. After heading the North American department of the foreign ministry, and working as a diplomatic councilor at the Croatian embassy in Canada, she was elected to the Croatian parliament and eventually became the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Footage from her victory speech after election results were confirmed, with emphasis on the hard work ahead to bring Croatia the prosperity it is capable of and deserves. More information and video footage at www.kolinda.tv

New Giant Croatian King Statue In Split Would Be A Victory For Europe. What are the options?...

Now then, back to important decisions to make that I was talking about. I already mentioned above some of the issues and that Kolinda will have to deal with in the coming years, I will let the analyzers who get paid to analyze go and write about those topics. Instead, here I'm going to discuss briefly another important matter that needs addressing and serious discussion. I am of course talking about a proposed giant statue in the coastal city of Split that has been talked about for years. Now, there has been talk over the last few years about erecting some kind of giant statue in Split, and I'm all for it, but only if it is a statue of one of the 3 Croatian Kings shown below. (I don't have the time or space here to explain and go into detail, just click onto croatianmedievalhistory.blogspot.ca for all the particulars) Now, you can find plenty of statues in Croatia, statues of poets, scientists, politicians, artists and writers from over the centuries, but none of them are giant statues that one can see from a far distance.

So there's been rumours over the last few years of erecting a large giant statue in the city of Split,some of the various giant statue considerations are rumoured to have included a tall statue of Elvis, the Rolling Stones, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ghandi, Katarina Witt, a giant Miley Cyrus tongue thing statue, giant Olsen Twins, Bill Gates, Roman Abramovich, Brigitte Bardot, the Smurfs, Scooby-Doo, Snoopy Poop Doggy Doo, Whoopi Goldberg, Shazam, Mickey Mouse, Rita MacNeil, Stewie Griffin and even Jerry Springer, just to name a few. That's all fine and dandy and swell, but the thing is that they're really not a part of Croatian history. Even though they're all great ideas, it wouldn't make any sense, sort of like a giant Jolly Green Giant statue in Nigeria, a giant Bjorn Borg statue in Somalia or a giant Colonel Sanders statue in Afghanistan. Now, giant and tall statues being erected is nothing new at all, many countries/cities have been doing it for many years...(See List_of_statues_by_height)

The Maitreya Project Buddha statue in India is a planned 500 ft statue and this will make it the tallest statue in the world, also you can see that these kinds of statues are important. There are already some statues that are close to that range, quite a few over 400 ft and many in the 300-400 ft range. There are even plans being made for statues approaching 700 ft in India and other nearby countries. The Statue of Liberty is about 150 ft, 300 ft including the base from the ground. I don't think the city of Split will need one that tall, but there definitely should be one erected in the future on Marjan Hill (pronounced MARyan) Taking these points into consideration, I think a proposed statue in Split around the 200-300 foot range would be an appropriate size and dimension. Even a 125 foot base and 175 foot statue would be sufficient.

A 420 ft Buddha statue in China.

If one is even a little familiar with early Croatian history, (and if you're not, hit the above supplied link), then you will know that in the early middle ages the first Croatian realms and Dukedoms were located along the southern areas close to the Adriatic, including in and around the city of Split. Those are the areas we first settled back in the 6th-7th century, quite a few centuries before Zagreb became our capital city in the 1500's. The very Croatian Kingdom was politically centered in those areas, in and around Split also, it's even where some of them were crowned. The 3 Croatian Kings shown below convened their royal courts there, the Croatian nobles assembled there, the Croatian Kings pronounced their decrees and ruled from there. It is there where they consolidated, strengthened and defended their realms from. Enough said, if there is going to be any tall statue erected in Split, it has to be one of the 3 kings listed below. Some other statue examples....

The 87 ft statue of Hermannsdenkmal stands atop an 88 ft monument in Germany. (Every year more than 130,000 tourists travel to see the statue and it's only located in the middle of a forest)

The Kailashnath Mahadev Statue is a 143 ft tall Shiva statue in Nepal.

The Jolly Green Giant statue in Blue Earth Minnesota is 55 ft tall and is actually the largest tourist attraction in the area.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was erected in 435 BCE and was 42 ft tall. This shows the importance of tall statues/monuments goes far back in history. This is just one example of other even much taller ancient Greek and Roman statues.

Large statues as part of a monument of the founders of Kiev, in the city of Kiev, Ukraine. According to the oldest written record of how the early Kievan Rus' state was formed, Nestor's Primary Chronicle (Tale of Bygone Years), states that the 3 brothers Kyi, Schek, Horev and their sister Lybid also (Kiy, Kij or Kyj) Shchek and Horyv (Кий, Щек, Хорив and Либідь) were the founders of medieval Kiev.

Seen below are a few statues already in existence, and which may be used as possible models for a future giant statue in Split, in my humble opinion. Some possibilities include seated on a horse, sitting on the throne, standing with a sword, perhaps also standing with sword in one hand and holding the royal orb in the other. Those are details that can be sorted out later. I would put this on the list of important projects that Kolinda should spend time on during her tenure in the forthcoming years, important decisions to make yet no less important than any others. I know about the massive bridge projects in the works also, but look at it this way, over 130,000 visitors a year travel just to see the above Hermannsdenkmal monument in Germany and it's just in the middle of a forest. I'm sure the Croatian diaspora would have no problem helping to fund the project, so it wouldn't even cost anything to the taxpayers. When the people strolling the Split waterfront, swimming in the Adriatic sea or boating and yachting off in the distance look up and off into the distance, it has to be a magical moment of awe and wonder, like a brief look into the past and a symbology of protection, just like over a thousand years ago. When those large ships full of tourists approach the port and they all see the statue, you can bet their cameras will be taking pictures on hyperdrive. Another option would be to also include the corresponding Croatian Queen at the time, but this again would affect the size of the finished monument. Still something to take into consideration.

When Croatian Navy Day is held at the waterfront, the appropriate statue must be seen overlooking and guarding the city. It makes perfect sense as a future project. Restaurants, cafes and ice-cream shops can also be built and operate close by, it will even become a tourist attraction just like the giant statues of other countries, and so help the local economy as well as highlight the history of the city and country. As one can see, large monumental statues are of the utmost importance to many countries/cities, so these are future decisions that Kolinda will have to seriously consider.

City of Split with Marjan Hill in the background. Some other views of and from Marjan Hill on Google maps HERE

View of the city of Split from Marjan Hill. Some other views of and from Marjan Hill on Google maps HERE

King Peter Krešimir IV the Great statue in the nearby historic town of Šibenik. The town was mentioned for the first time under its present name in 1066 in the "Charter of the Croatian King Petar Krešimir IV, it is for this reason also known as "Krešimirov grad" (Krešimir's city) Šibenik was heavily attacked and continuously bombed by the Yugoslav National Army and Serbian paramilitary and chetnik troops while ethnically cleansing other areas. Although under-armed, the nascent Croatian army and the people of Šibenik managed to defend the city. The battle lasted for six days (16–22 September), often referred to as the "September battle."

Lastly, as another option to a giant tall statue, but which would of course affect the size of the monument, would be a monument erected around the theme of the below 1905 painting by Oton Iveković named "Arrival of the Croats to the Adriatic Sea' (Dolazak Hrvata na Jadran) This painting is in turn based on the written words of the 10th-century Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine VII in his historical chronicle "De Administrando Imperio." In the chronicle he records the account of the arrival of the Croatian tribes reaching the Adriatic Sea in the 6th and 7th century from their previous homes in and around the Carpathians, called "White Croatia." It's a very historical source of information and painting and so definitely worthy of a very large monument. Although something similar would look very cool on Marjan Hill, there's no way to have every one of the individuals represented as giant tall statues, I don't think there would be enough room at the very top of Marjan Hill to include all of them. You probably could make the monument fairly tall and large if it included 3 to around 8 figures at most. Monument options to think about anyway.

Painting from 1879 entitled "Croats arrive at the sea" which also portrays a scene according to the same source of De Administrando Imperio mentioned above. This would be another possible statue/monument option which would look cool.

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About Me

What is "Croatianicity"? Is it relevant in this day and age? Yes it is, and has been for many centuries. In this country of multiculturalism it can at times be a state of mind or even just those instances where one is aware of one's Croatian ethnic background. (when eating Croatian food or when in the act of seeing written material or an image that is pertaining to Croatians or Croatia) Very similar to:
..."Chineseicity"..."Germanicity"..."Japanicity"...."Polishinicity"..."Irishinicity"..."Spanishinicity"
..."Norwegianicity"..."Lithuanianicity"...
"Russianicity"..."Italianicity"..."Hindustanicity"..."Greekanicity"..."Argentinianicity"..."Danishincity...and also quite a number of other "-icity's", too many to mention. "Croatianicity" just has a more Croatian flavour and theme to it...for obvious reasons.....My domain name for those interested is actually a hybrid and adaption. A domain name that includes "kitty cats", "bubbles", "unicorns", butterflies" or "daisies" would not be wise or appropriate, as here I post and discuss topics of a serious nature at times as well. All spelling mistakes are my own.